Church of Alexandria

The Church of Alexandria in Egypt was the Christian Church headed by the patriarch of Alexandria. It was one of the five sees of the pentarchy, alongside Rome, Antioch, Constantinople and Jerusalem.

Tradition holds that Saint Mark the Evangelist founded the Church of Alexandria^[1] c. 49 AD. Alexandrian Christianity greatly influenced the early Church in much of Africa.^[2] Alexandria claims jurisdiction over all Christians on the African continent.^{[citation needed]}

Today, three churches claim to be direct heirs of the original Church of Alexandria:

The Coptic Orthodox Church (Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria), an Oriental Orthodox church
The Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria (Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa^[3]), part of the wider Eastern Orthodox Church
The Coptic Catholic Church, one of 23 Eastern Catholic churches in full communion with the Catholic Church led by the Bishop of Rome

Formerly the Latin Patriarchate of Alexandria also did so.

References

^ "Church of Alexandria". Catholic Encyclopedia. Accessed 11-17-2015.
^ Muksawa, Adam (1 November 2024). Greeks, Rome and Christianity in Early African History: Ptolemaic Egypt, Roman Africa, Nubia, Ethiopia and the Church. Muksawa. Retrieved 20 May 2025. The Egyptian church influenced the parts of Africa with which it had strong trade links - namely Sudan and Ethiopia. Such influence did not particularly extend to the Maghreb i.e. Northwest Africa. [...] Alexandria had jurisdiction over both Egypt and Libya - as well as the churches eventually formed to the far south - namely in Sudan and Ethiopia.
^ Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa

External links

A. C. Fox-Davies (1913). "Ecclesiastical Heraldry" . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

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[1] "Church of Alexandria". Catholic Encyclopedia. Accessed 11-17-2015.

[2] Muksawa, Adam (1 November 2024). Greeks, Rome and Christianity in Early African History: Ptolemaic Egypt, Roman Africa, Nubia, Ethiopia and the Church. Muksawa. Retrieved 20 May 2025. The Egyptian church influenced the parts of Africa with which it had strong trade links - namely Sudan and Ethiopia. Such influence did not particularly extend to the Maghreb i.e. Northwest Africa. [...] Alexandria had jurisdiction over both Egypt and Libya - as well as the churches eventually formed to the far south - namely in Sudan and Ethiopia.

[3] Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa

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